Meanings
present singular third person detunes · participle present detuning · participle past detuned · past detuned · alternative de-tune
- entertainmentTo intentionally lower or raise the pitch produced by a musical instrument, often to produce sounds not normally possible, or to reduce tension in a stringed instrument for the purpose of shipping or maintenance.
Some avant-garde composers request that performers detune their instruments before playing.
Synonyms: untune
- engineeringTo alter the resonant frequency of a tuned system so that it is slightly different from a specified target frequency.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo intentionally lower or raise the pitch produced by a musical instrument, often to produce sounds not normally possible, or to reduce tension in a stringed instrument for the purpose of shipping or maintenance.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Englishde-
- Englishtune
- Englishdetune
Translations
Bulgarian разстройвам
- разстройвам (razstrojvam)intentionally lower or raise the pitch produced by a musical instrument
Portuguese dessintonizar
- dessintonizaralter the resonant frequency of a tuned system
Spanish desintonizar
- desintonizaralter the resonant frequency of a tuned system
Cite this entry
detune. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detune
“detune.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detune. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “detune,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detune.
Source: detune on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.